Fatimah Otunsanya
Amid the call by Obidients that presidential aspirants in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) should step down for Peter Obi, the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed the notion, saying no aspirant will withdraw for another in the coalition.
Atiku’s position was made known in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by his media aide, Paul Ibe, following recent comments by Obi’s allies, including Prof Pat Utomi and Aisha Yesufu, who have rejected the idea of Obi emerging as a Vice Presidential candidate in the coalition.
Rejecting any suggestion that he should step aside, Atiku described such calls as dangerous to Nigeria’s democracy.
Any call — overt or covert — for Atiku to ‘step aside’ is a gift to authoritarian ambition and a betrayal of the Nigerian people,” the statement said.
The former vice president also accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of shrinking democratic space and deliberately weakening opposition parties in a bid to impose what he described as a “creeping, de facto one-party state.”
“For nearly three years, Nigerians have endured one of the harshest periods in recent history — an era defined by punishing economic policies and shrinking democratic space,” the statement read, adding that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had sought to eliminate political alternatives through systematic pressure on opposition forces.
According to Atiku, the ADC was adopted by opposition figures as a platform to resist this trend and offer Nigerians a credible alternative.
He alleged that individuals aligned with the Presidency were now attempting to destabilise the ADC by interfering in its internal affairs, particularly the process of choosing a presidential candidate.
“Let it be stated plainly: the ADC is on a national rescue mission,” the statement said, stressing that the party is committed to “an open, transparent, and competitive process” for selecting its flagbearer.
Atiku also warned against external interference, saying, “APC proxies and external meddlers have no standing to intimidate, blackmail, or sabotage this democratic resolve.”
Declaring that all qualified aspirants would be free to contest when the time comes, Atiku stated emphatically: “No one is stepping down.”
He added that if anyone should step aside, it should be President Tinubu, whom he described as “a national liability.”
The former Vice President insisted that the ADC remains determined to challenge the ruling party and “end the misfortune imposed by the Tinubu-led APC.